Banjo attachment for pianos



June 15 1926.

P. WIGGEN BANJO ATTACHMENT FOR PIANOS Filed Feb. 17, 1923 position, or when the piano is played in the ordinary manner, for it is w ll known that as soon as the hammers strike the strings 5 in the ordinary manner of playing the instrun'icnt, the feet 11 of the jacks 12 at the instant strike the heads 13 of the stop meml: rs ll and thus allows the han'imers to instantly rebound and when the keys are released, rest against the hammer rest rail 16 of the action as shown in Figs. 1 the drawing.

Now by using the enlargements 9 on the pendants 8 of sufficient thickness when said enlargements are interposed between the strings 5 and hammers 6, that they will pre vent, when struck by the hammers, the feet 11 of th jacks 12 contacting with the heads 1 of the stop members 14 for said feet, it is manifest that the upper end of the jack will be held in contact with the hammerbutt and not instantly released therefrom, ordinary playing of the instrument.

y tapering the blocks or enlargements O iowarr s their lower ends, or rather by pro viding said enlargements with their surfaces (jacent the hammers inclined downwardly am towards the strings 5 and with their su faces adjacent the strings in a parallel ane with said strings, it is manifest that the lower ends of the enlargements being of s thickness than their upper ends, will nore readily be interposed between the hamners and the strings when the supporting .ar 7 of the attachment is lowered for this It is further obvious that as the aces of the enlargements 9 adjacent the a. ngs are arranged in parallelism with said that a considerable area of each enargement will be provided to contact with he strings and thus effectually prevent vibra ion of the strings and thereby produce a banjo effect, while the enlargements held against the strings by the hammers of the action.

As it may be desirable to effect the change in the tone of the instrument from its natural sound or tone to that of a banjo, while playing a piece of music, it is manifest that by reason of the above mentioned construction of the enlargement of the attachment, they will have a tendency to slide oft the upper rounded portions of the hammers in a direction towards the strings, should they strike any of the hammers when the attachment is being lowered.

From the foregoing and by reference to and 2 of the drawing, it will be readiiy understood and clearly seen that an essential feature of the invention is the provision of the blocks or enlargements 9 on the lower portion of the flexibie pendants or strips 8 which shall be of sufiicient thickness that when interposed betwcen the hammers and strings of instrument and in contact with both strings id hammers, they will block the movement of the hammers towards the strings and prevent the feet 11 of the jacks 12 c0ntacting with the heads 13 of the stop members 14; for said feet, thus causing the hammers to dwell for a while in contact with the enlargements of the attachment which at this time are pressed against the strings of the instrument.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent isl. A banjo attachment for pianos, comsing a movable support, means for movthe same, a flexible pendant secured thereto and an enlargement on the lower portion of said pendant adapted to be interposed by said moving means for its support between a piano string and a co-operating hammer therewith of the pianoaction, the said enlargement being of such thickness as when in its interposed position to block the m vement of the hammer towards the string on said enlargement is struck by the ha .1-

and held thereby in contact with the string and thus prevent the foot of the jack, operating said hammer, contacting with the member for said foot.

A banjo attachment for pianos, consisting of a vertically movable support, means to raise and lower the same a flexible pendant secured thereto and an enlargement on the lower portion of said pendant adapted to be interposed by said moving means for its support between a piano string and a co-operating hammer therewith of the pianoaction, the said enlargement having its surface adjacent the hammer inclined downwardly towards said string and being of such thickness at its upper part as when in its interposed position to block the movement of the hammer towards the string when said enlargement is struck by the hammer and held thereby in contact with the string and thus prevent the foot of the jack, operating said hammer, contacting with the stop member for said foot.

PEDER VIGGEN.

sois ASESIGNGH are n snore,

position hetcee'i the thereof 'for the purpose of pr 0 eftect when the instruin i :1 other words, to olovide inea e natural t o nornial tone of the illStlulRGli can he reaeily changed to that of or rice verse.

Another o'iject of the iiFfHtiOIl is to so construct )arts of; tie tachinent that said he readily interposed between the 7 c piano Without b ing nreventes" by c eleratien o n and a J lens A 1e 3i orsho'e .ing 111/ improved attachment in its raised or inopewtive position ant illustrating the part of the acti L in their normal positions or at rest.

is like View 01" siin'lar showing the attachment in its operative position.

3 is an enlar e piano action and strings of piano fl" 1 i i iits operative position and illustrating hammer of th SJJUIOL in the position it W assume with respect to a part of the attachment when the barge effect on the string is produced, and r ig. 4 is an enlarged side View of a fragment of the attachment.

-he reference numeral 5 designates a portion of a string of a piano and 6 the hamme; of the action between which string and hamone or" the elements of the attachment is Vii-i1 t? We .1 is 1-;- ring A: s

A JORIEOEATION ATTAGHEEEIIT F03 PIAHOS.

1323. Serial No. 619,590.

adapted t The attachment GOHlPflSGS d 1 ,il or bar 7 a ")l st ops or tot guts B be e 5411 one so L to the b tl. 'ions by suitable n1 attachment also iudes a 'h of wood or other s it hle n'uzteriah which is secured to r: v

w ano by once has res ui r:- es covered with reit i n l, for co-operation With tl hammer ano string.

shown, the blocks 9 each has its Wall or "ace acent the hammer by which i is strucl downwardly inclined toward th 11g 5, hile opoosite surface is and normally occupies a ng with WlllCl'l 1 -operate in producing h rnjo J '1 L a. T1. 1 er and or tone proouceu by said so. i1 7 of the att- 15'; hori ontally mounted between the oi the Q1213; and the han were of the actions, out abov s id h as is clearly shown in F l to inclusive of the drawing. 'ihis bar or rt ii is adanted to be elevated hr .L U any it nisin, for instance such as :1 =11 rods 18, each of Whlch ar one 1 1ochan1s1n as may be found convenient. By

operated by such lever opeitiiig the l ver mechanism, not shown, [1 e rods 18 are lifted to cause an elevation of the bar or rail 7 and the parts attached thereto For the purpose 01" guiding the movements of the bar 0 rail '7, a vertically CilSPC-SQC. guide member 22 having Vertical. groove guile-wsy 1 th 1 -;-ception aid operation of each e "r or rail i d is suitahl'v mounte or stuff-ace o1 the side walls of the o The blocks or Cl'lln portions of the pen a thiciniess that when t the paths of the hennnvs shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of th will block or prevent hammers near enough the foot 11 of the jack 12 oi the action striking the head 13 of the adjustable stop 1nen1- her 14 for the said foot, thereby preventing the upper end of the jack being released tronthe hammer-but 15 as occurs when the a achment is levated at is its n p r tive lowered into s is clearly drawing, the e movement of the the strings 5 to cause 

